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01-13-2006 17:05

Today we begin a 4 part series looking at the development of China’s enormous Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The sparsely populated area has always been a challenge to defend. This part of China borders eight countries and is the furthest from the seat of government in the east. The region was often invaded by foreign powers. Over the past 2,000 years, successive dynasties have stationed troops in the area. When they are not required for active duty, the soldiers spent a large part of their time farming. The combination of defence and agriculture has promoted Xinjiang’s security and stability. Today, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps is carrying on in the same tradition.

The western regions encompassing modern Xinjiang were of great strategic importance. A major trade route, later known as the Silk Road, passed through the area. It also formed a useful buffer against raiding nomadic peoples. A substantial military presence could only be supported by improved agriculture. In the first century BC, Emperor Wudi issued an imperial edict establishing Luntai as Xinjiang’s leading city. Defensive troops began converting wasteland to farmland.

Throughout Chinese history, various foreign powers threatened to annex Xinjiang. Each invasion had eventually been defeated. The civil war of the 1940s could have severed the region from the main body of China for good. In tomorrow’s episode, we will find out how Xinjiang was brought under the control of the New Socialist government. During the summer of 1949, the People’s Liberation Army had taken all of northwest China except Xinjiang. When Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Xinjiang was still under Guomindang control. Negotiations for a peaceful transfer of power looked promising but PLA troops were poised to attack if negotiations failed.

 

Editor:Wang Ping